Speaking Clock making £21 million a year

At the third stroke, BT will make another 30p

The iconic speaking clock is apparently making BT around £21 million a year, with the 74-year-old technology still proving remarkably resilient.

Although it has been hijacked by the likes of Lenny Henry (in the name of charity) and, controversially, Tinkerbell for a sponsored tie-in, there have been just four main speakers in its entire history.

And with 70 million calls a year, at a cost of 30p per call, that amounts to a staggering profit for an automated phone line.